BMW Championship 2023: 3 Instant Reactions to Friday Leaderboard Scores
There is plenty at stake in this weekend's BMW Championship, and it goes beyond the impressive $20 million prize pool.
We're in the thick of the FedEx Cup playoffs, and only the top 30 golfers in the points standings will move on to next week's TOUR Championship at East Lake. Many competitors will also be looking to earn a spot on this year's Ryder Cup team—either by cracking the top six of the U.S. Ryder Cup standings or by impressing captain Zach Johnson.
In terms of the FedEx Cup race, the winner of the BMW Championship will get a cool 2,000 points to his season total. The winner of next weekend's tournament will be crowned the 2023champion, and the tournament features a prorated scoring start (from 10-under to even par) based on FedEx Cup standings.
Two days of heated competition remain at Olympia Fields. Here are our biggest takeaways from Thursday's action.
Top Leaders Entering Day 3
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1. Max Homa -10
2. Chris Kirk -8
T-3. Matt Fitzpatrick -7
T-3. Brian Harmon -7
T-5. Scottie Scheffler -5
T-5. Rickie Fowler -5
T-5. Rory McIlroy -5
T-10. Sungjae Im -4
T-10. Xander Schauffele -4
T-10. Patrick Cantlay -4
McIlroy Stumbles, Homa Is In Terrific Shape
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Rory McIlroy was the star of the show on Thursday and appeared to be in a great position to repeat as FedEx Cup champion. He finished his opening round in a tie for first place and atop the FedEx Cup projected standings.
However, McIlroy endured a rocky outing on Friday, shooting an even par and falling into a fifth-place tie. He's still fourth in the projected standings but is trending in the wrong direction at the wrong time.
While McIlroy has stumbled, Max Homa has surged. The 32-year-old shot an incredible eight-under on Friday to move into the tournament lead at 10-under. It was a historic performance for Homa, who entered the tournament sixth in the points standings:
Homa is now at the top in the projected standings, and that'll be incredibly important—if he can hang on. The TOUR Championship gives a decided advantage to the points leader at the very beginning.
The leader in FedEx Cup points will begin next week's tournament at 10-under par. The second-ranked golfer will begin at eight-under, while the No. 3 golfer will begin at -seven-under. Fourth place will start at six-under, while fifth will open at five-under.
The weighting continues from there in groups of five with golfers ranked 26th-30th opening at even par.
Homa's Friday jump could potentially gain him six strokes in the final event of the playoffs.
Jon Rahm's Recent Play Is Concerning
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Jon Rahm will compete in the TOUR Championship next week. Despite finishing tied for 37th at last week's St. Jude Championship, he entered the BMW Championship still atop the FedEx Cup points standings.
"The point of coming to the Playoffs is to give yourself the best chance to get to East Lake on the number one spot," Rahm said, per Jack Milko of SBNation.
However, Rahm is now in serious danger of losing that top spot, and with it the lead-off advantage in next week's tournament. Rahm had another forgettable day on Friday, shooting four-over, and now sits at +6 for the tournament.
If the tournament ended today—which, it obviously doesn't—Rahm would be No. 3 in the points standings. It's not a bad place to be, but it's a surprising spot for a competitor who had a massive lead heading into the playoffs.
Rahm has been one of the sport's most consistent golfers this season, with four wins and 10 top-10 finishes on his 2023 resume. However, he's stumbling at exactly the wrong time, and if Rahm doesn't rebound over the final two days, it could come to haunt him—especially if he loses next week by a couple of strokes.
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Matt Fitzpatrick is Barreling Toward the TOUR Championship
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While plenty of attention is rightfully focused on the golfers sitting near the top of the points standings, the playoffs are perhaps even more important for those in the middle of the pack. With only the top 30 players moving on to the East Lake, players near the bottom must shine to advance.
Matt Fitzpatrick was one of those golfers in desperate need of a strong finish at the BMW Championship.
Fitzpatrick has one win this season—he notched a playoff victory over Jordan Spieth at the BBC Heritage—but only earned four top-10 finishes and tied for 66th at the St. Jude Championship.
Entering Thursday, Fitzpatrick was 40th in the points standings. Two strong days, however, have him firmly in contention to make the cut for next weekend. He shot a four-under 66 in Round 1 and shot three-under in Round 2 to move him just three strokes behind Homa.
Fitzpatrick's steady play will have to continue over the final two rounds, but if he can keep up his current pace, he'll have a chance to win it all.
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